Teacher takes a career break and goes on a solo year long mission (maybe more) to see the world.

Month: December 2015

As everyone had warned me it really doesn’t feel like Christmas in Oz. The weather is hot, everyone’s in shorts and flip flops and there isn’t even the Xmas bus around like we have at home In Ireland.
I arrived into Sydney in the rain! Typical! So I just met a travelling buddy for a drink and settled into my friends place in Botany. I was so lucky to have somewhere to stay as Sydney is crazy expensive especially at this time of year.
Sun came out the following day so j was able to explore the city. Got my first glimpse of the Opera House and had a stroll around The Rocks. Lovely part of the city.

Opera House selfie 🙂

Next day was Christmas Eve so I stocked up on some groceries and alcohol for the days ahead. No turkey leftovers here as il be going out for Xmas dinner.
We went out Christmas Eve to Coogee Bay fir some drinks in the beer garden. Coogee Bay looks lovely il definately go back for a visit some day. Then we went to the famous Cock n Bull pub which reminded me of Coppers! Full of Irish people wishing eachother Happy Christmas. Great night 🙂
Very foggy head Christmas morning! Not the same at all with no Christmas tree or presents to open 😦 But luckily friends and family sent me videos and messages that cheered me up.
I was invited to my Ozzy friends family home to experience an Ozzy Xmas outside in the sun. We had a great time and I even got a present from Santa! I loved it, they made me feel so welcome and like part of the family

All set for Xmas lunch outdoors

Next was the Irish Christmas in an Irish pub Pj O Briens. We had prawn cocktail, Turkey and ham and Eton mess. It was nice but ofcourse nothing like mammys! The pub had great music and was buzzing. From here it was back to a house full of Irish people having a few drinks, Turkey sambos and a sing song. So all in all I definately made the most of the day!
My Sydney Christmas was made by all the people who took me in as their own and let me celebrate with them so can’t thank them enough. Next year I will make sure I’m at home in the cold and rain. #noplacelikehome

Expectations where high for Byron and they were met! This is such a cool place. I loved Noosa and it kindof feels like a bigger Noosa and less fancy,more hippy.
I stayed in the Nomads hostel.which is very central. 5 minute walk to the beach and in the middle of all the quirky shops and cafes.
The beach is huge and gorgeous. You can choose to sit in the hustle and bustle of music playing and people barbecuing or else you can go to the other end and watch people surf.

Busy side of the beach

I loved the nightlife here because you were allowed drink your own drink.until 10pm on the hostel rooftop and then go to a choice of bars, a lot of them playing live music. We saw a brilliant brass band our first night.
The following day I went on the day trip to Nimbin. It is a bit far away for what it is but we had a laugh. It’s a fun bus where everyone can drink. Ofcourse this is where I found a huge group of Irish so the bus was very lively! Ciders were flowing.
Nimbin is basically a one Street town full of hippies and flower power very cool to see.

After a long day trip like that I was happy to have the next day to explore the beach and dobthe lighthouse walk. We probably did it at a bad time in the heat but was still a nice walk and good views from the top.

Lighthouse viewpoint

We had another night out that night as it was my lastnight with two girls I have been with since Fraser. 😦 Hate goodbyes hardest part about travelling! I was getting the nightbus the next day so I had all day. I did a bit of shopping couldn’t resist some of the brilliant bargains. Shopping is so good here!
Chilled at the beach with the girls and then we went for our only dinner out in Byron. Food here is meant to be amazing! We chose a sushi place because I havnt a clue about sushi so they taught me the ins and outs 🙂

Last supper

Byron is definately a place you could live for a while and not get bored. Such good variety of bars, restaurants, cafes beach and scenery. Would definately go back.

Bus to Brisbane was pretty painless thank god and arrived to my hostel at a reasonable hour around 3pm. Bunk hostel was a nice hostel in Fortitude Valley with clean rooms and a huge kitchen so I settled in quickly. I had a stroll around the area but spring the day the area is mostly just abuse China town with not much else going on. It’s at night that Fortitude Valley really comes to life.
I met friends I had met in Argentina and we went for an amazing Mexican in Rgs. 2dollar tacos and 3 dollar burritos, sure you couldn’t go wrong! Live music aswell, not bad for a Tuesday.

Some feed for 5dollars!

I was very excited the next morning because I was meeting my cousin who has moved to Brisbain with her boyfriend. Rachel lives in Kangaroo point which is such a nice area. We went for a walk along the cliffs and into the city. City is big but yet compact I loved it and has everything you would need. I was also so excited because we went to Grill’d for lunch. I had heard so much about it, a healthy burger place. It was so good but wasn’t a fan of the zucchini fries though. Bit of a let down. I got to see Xmarkeys, the lagoon and all that. We had some prelunch and post lunch wines by the lagoon and the marina before heading back to the apt. We were both zonked from the humidity.

Being a tourist 🙂

We had planned to go out that night but I was loving the luxury of chilling on a couch with a Xmas film too much so we got a few bottles of wine and a Thai takeaway instead. #bliss
Up early the next morning to go to Steve Irwins zoo about an hours drive away. It was really good my favourites were definately the crocodiles and koalas. There wasn’t as many animals as I thought thered be but I’m glad I went.

Kangaroo selfie

Luckily we got a nice sunny day so we had time when we got back to have a dip in the pool before getting ready for some dinner and drinks in Fortitude Valley.
We went to an amazing all you can eat Japanese Bbq. It was so much fun and we definately got value for our money! Bars were busy even in the rain so we tried some cocktails and had the chats.

Family time 🙂

I was so sad leaving this morning to get my 11am bus to Byron. Really loved Brisbane and the time with my cousin, didn’t want to leave but Iv heard great things about Byron so hopefully it will live up to all the hype. 🙂
#stilldoesntfeellikexmas

I was very excited to get to Noosa as two girls I was with for most of my time in New Zealand were going to be there and staying in the same hostel 🙂
Arrived at lunch time so after all the hugs and settling in we went to the supermarket for some ciders and snacks to take to the beach.

Noosa beach

The beach is usually very busy but it’s really nice and you can actually swim here with no sharks or jelly fish to worry about!
We had a walk around Hastings Street which is a lovely Street with lots of nice shops, expensive though. This town is quite resorty, with lots of families on holidays and that kind of thing.
We had a few drinks in the hostel and then went on a mission to find a bar to go to. Sunday night is definately not the night to go out in Noosa! We managed to find one fairly swanky club that was open and had good music so we danced the night away anyway.
We were proud of ourselves the next morning, we got up early and set off to The National Park for the coastal walk. It was so worth it!

Coast walk

The walk passes some nice small beaches, rock pools and the whole walk is by the coast so the crystal blue water is always visible. We really enjoyed it and were delighted we made it to Hells Gate and the nudist beach in a reasonable time.

Hells Gate

We chilled on the beach, well actually fell asleep! Then made our way back and we saw koalas and dolphins!
After rewarding myself with frozen yoghurt and a look around the shops we went back to hostel to make dinner and wash it down with some classy goon.
Noosa definately surprised us with Monday madness. Bar was hopping at the hostel and then it was followed up by an Irish bar where I introduced Baby Guinness to the English 🙂

Yum!!

Now it’s off to Brisbane. Sad to leave Noosa it’s a nice town but excited for the next stop aswell 🙂

I knew there was something fishy when most people I knew had to go to a presenting for their trip bit I didn’t. I had asked Peter Pans for the usual jeep experience on Fraser but somehow my booking was a 4WD bis tour instead. To say I was devastated when I saw the bus is an understatement! I was so excited about driving a 4×4 jeep through the sand dunes of Fraser but wasn’t to be. The only saving grace was that a lot of the group thought the same so we all got through the disappointment together.

The Monster Truck

The bus/truck was pretty cool especially when I got to sit in the front but still would love to have experienced the jeeps. Anyway….had to move on and make the most of it.
Luckily our driver Jared was great fun and really made the trip. Our 1st stop was a 10 minute walk to.a beautiful rain water lake and after that we did a 2k forest walk where we all got to know eachother a bit more.

Officially a tree hugger

Next stop was the famous Lake McKenzie. Took everyone’s breaths away. Certainly know now why it’s famous. 98% silica sand like Whitehaven beach but the water was just amazing. Calm and crystal clear we all hopped straight in for a swim. Jared pumped some tunes and brought a ball for us to play with so we stayed here for a few hours.

Paradise

What I have to say about Cool Dingos tour is that we were seriously well fed. Constant apples and cereal bars on the bus, buffet lunch and then afternoon tea after the beach aswell before a buffet dinner every night. Really good food aswell! My shorts are definately getting tighter from all these food included trips!
Back to the resort for sunset drinks before dinner. Resort was lovely aswell so couldn’t complain about that.

Red wine by sunset 🙂

After dinner we kept the drinks flowing and ended up loving the karaoke we had previously promised we wouldn’t be joining! A local bucks party joined in aswell just to keep the party going even later. So the heads the next morning were a bit worse for wear!

'Spicy Shielas' Debut 🙂

Next day was a survival mode. Stocked up on breakfast and on the bus just before it started to rain and never stop!! 😦
We still tried toake the most of it and saw went swimming in the rain in the champagne pools which was a bit of craic and got to see dingos and a shipwreck in between the downpours. It stopped raining fir just enough time so we could climb Indian head and get a good view of the beaches. Bit by the time we got to the Creek which would have been so much fun in the sun we were all a bit wet and miserable.

Views from Indian Head

So we went back to the lodges a bit earlier, enjoyed the buffet and waited for our bus to the ferry.
Weather and tour wasn’t ideal but luckily I met great people and we made the most of it. Fraser Island is definately a trip that has to be done.

A lot of people don’t stop in Agnes Water because they don’t know about it. It’s a very small town with little in it just a few shops and a beach. My hostel Cool Bananas was just a 5 minute walk to the shops and beach. Such a chilled, ‘cool’ hostel. Lounge area with huge comfy couches, free WiFi, spacious rooms, outside dining area and brilliant kitchen. Made my stay in Agnes, loved it there!
Spent the first day on the beach reading a book and trying to gain a few freckles. Not really happening yet!

Agnes Water Beach

A spot of expensive food shopping again to make another basic dinner and hung out with the others and had a few glasses of cheap goon outside before bed.
I was very excited for the next day because It was Scooteroo time! I was so excited for this tour,where you get to drive a motorbike in the leathers and fake tattoos to the town of 1770.
It was everything I expected and more! It was a bit slow to get going because everyone has to do an induction. Way harder than I expected!!

Before my induction

If you didn’t pass you had to sit on the bikes with the instructors which seemed like a fun option too!!
I was nervous at the start but after a few mins u get used to it and I reached up to 70kms, not bad for my first go I thought 🙂

Course I got the red bike! 🙂

We had a few photo stops and a break at the marina, we saw kangaroos and then cruised back to get a few glasses of free goon which set us up nicely for the night 🙂
Definately recommend this tour, something so different and so much fun!

Biker Chicks 🙂

It was a very sleepy head getting up the next morning at 5.30 for a Greyhound bus to Hervey Bay.

I was raring to go after four nights in Cairns. I was ready for a change and get this East coast trip up and running. Hopped on my first Greyhound bus with free WiFi and chargers I was delighted with life!
Got off the ferry and arrived at the hostel Bungalow Bay and couldn’t help but be disappointed. It was EXTRA chilled, nothing going on and only 2 people got off the bus with me who were also EXTRA quiet! Not exactly what I had in mind.
I made the most of it, invited the two girls for a walk to Horseshoe bay, sat there for a bit and then went to the only shop which was crazy expensive to try rustle up some sort of cheap dinner.
Thankfully I was booked into the Koala Sanctuary the next morning. That was really good I have to say. We got to meet and hold so many animals and they all seemed happy and relaxed there not like a zoo at all.

It’s the only place in Australia you get to hold a koala so ofcourse I gave it a go. The koalas again were so relaxed and the keepers were so careful and briefed us well.

I only had one day to see the island. A lot of people rent topless cars but we didn’t have enough to do that so we just bussed it. We got around to 3 or 4 bays they were all beautiful but you can only swim on two because of the stingers.
We had been told that the best time to do the nearby Forts walk was in the evening so we we did it on the way back. We saw koalas on the way and a lovely view at the top.

Met a few more on the walk and got a lift back in their topless car. Hostel a bit busier tonight but still not a lot going on so I’m looking forward to Airlie beach tomorrow.

Arrived late to my hostel Magnums in the centre of Airlie beach so didn’t see much that night. Just time to rub to the nearby Woolworths and get a quick tin of soup for dinner. Magnums bar was hopping but I got an early night l, all set for my Whitsundays the next day.
The boat didn’t leave until 2 so I had time to stock up on alcohol and pack a small bag before joining 27 others on the Ride to Paradise boat.
I was very apprehensive about this tour as it was new so nobody knew anything about it It was only a half an hour to our lodge. We all couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw the luxury we would be staying in for the next two nights!

Living room with pool table

Huge pool area with bar

We were greeted with a cheese and Cracker reception with teas and coffee. I felt like I was on the wrong trip! Tom Cruise has stayed here! Definately a big change from the hostels I was used to!
We spent the evening drinking cans in the pool and playing some tennis etc the usual 😉 We were called for dinner at 7 which was grilled fish with mash and homemade coleslaw followed by strudel for dessert and lots more drinks by the fire.

Up early the next morning for our trip to Whitehaven beach. Viewpoint first showed us just how vast the beach is, such an amazing sight!

Whitehaven Beach

After a LOT of picture taking we eventually got down to the actual beach. The feeling of that sand is like nothing else it’s the highest percentage of silica in sand in the world. Cold under your feet. Unbelievable! The skipper cleaned my ring in the sand and we all exfoliated in it. Skin is still soft after it! We saw lemon sharks and went for a swim. It was amazing!

Finally get the hype!

After lunch on the boat we got to go snorkelling and saw some colourful fish and coral and then it was back to the beautiful lodge to chill out, eat dinner and have a pool party 🙂

Cheap goon time 🙂

It was a great night followed by a great morning of buffet breakfast and some more snorkelling in an even nicer bay. We were all devastated to leave and go back to our paper-thin mattresses and feeding ourselves 😦 The trip organised an after party for us again thar night to cheer us up. Another good night in Airlie! Il need a week to recover!